I Have Enough Problems Without You
by funkyjazzcat
Summary: Girl comes to sky high, but wow! she doesn't fall for Warren! OR Will! Considering rewriting some of the movie. Mostly premovie though.
1. In the Beginning, there was

Disclaimer: okay, Disney owns Sky High. Anyone you recognize is not mine. They belong to Disney. Like Lash, Warren, etc. So don't bug me about it.

The Nightmare Begins

The alarm clock went off early one morning for reasons unknown. The girl to whom the alarm clock belonged, whose name might or might not be Anna, but is more probably Charlie and certainly not Bill, ignored it. She would have continued ignoring it and likely gone back to sleep had not two dogs and a 13-year-old boy dashed into her room screaming, and jumped on the bed. Maybe-Anna-Probably-Charlie-Not-Bill can now testify as to the difficulties of attempted unconsciousness when one is violently moved about and occasionally stepped on or licked.

"All right!" she bellowed, kicking off the covers. "I'm up; now get out, ye flea-bitten nags! The means you, too, Sam!" She shoved her way out of the bed, pausing to watch the three tussle. "And you better not shred my new comforter or I swear to God, I will incinerate you." Maybe-Anna-Probably-Charlie-Not- Bill stumbled to her bathroom, the last iota of her morning cheerfulness used up until breakfast.

"I hate Mondays," she murmured, attacking the rats' nest that would eventually pass for hair. She was so getting a pixie cut over the weekend. Or shaving it all off. "I won't freak the other freshmen out just yet. I can be normal. Ish." Washing her face, she debated with the air as to whether or not she could be normal.

"I mean, I brush my teeth. I put on my pants one leg at a time. Heck, I even watch TV," she argued, somewhat unconvincingly. "My name is even normal. Charlie. How much more normal can I get?" she asked her mother, accepting the scrambled eggs handed to her.

Her mother groaned. "Charlie, it's too early for this. Why do you insist on torturing me?" Charlie's Mom wasn't her real mom, but they were both night owls. Mrs. Alicia Newton (AKA Thought Process) was a former sidekick with a day job as a psychologist/therapist. 5'6 and pudgy, Mrs. Newton's wits arrived with the morning coffee.

"Arguing always wakes me up," Charlie mumbled through her eggs. She didn't look anything like her adopted mom, something that displeased her greatly. People always immediately asked if she was adopted. Ms. Newton was plump, and had thick black hair that fell down her back with a graceful wave, plump red lips, a crooked nose and dark brown eyes. Charlie was just under 5'4" and skinny. Pin straight light brown hair (often dyed) with a distinct refusal to allow anything from delicate up-dos to a single curl. Pale green eyes examined a butterfly hovering outside the window. Perfectly average lips and a snub nose completed the ensemble, creating what seamed to Charlie a normal and unremarkable face. She could, however, be very happy to have escaped the worst of the acne battle that plagued most others her age.

"Charlie, you zoned out again."

She jumped. The butterfly... utterly fascinating. The royal blue wings beating the air furiously to stay aloft and at the same time allow the butterfly to enjoy the sweet nectar had completely captured her attention. "Sorry Mom. Hey, gotta run, 'kay? Smack Sam for me?" Her mom always _said_ no, but one of these days he might just be contrary enough for her to do it.

It was still muggy with the remains of last night's shower as Charlie walked to her bus stop. She considered trying out her new rain dance (her last one had been banned when AJ, enthusiastically flipping back and forth, had flipped into her mom's favorite gardenia bush), but again, decided to be nice to the other freshmen. Or rather, refrain from becoming a social outcast and designated weirdo on her first day.

"Hello AJ. I'm wondering." Another girl falling into step next to her laughed.

"You've been wondering something or other since the first grade. What are you wondering now?"

"I get the feeling I will hate freshmen. But since I will be a freshman myself, does that mean I have to hate myself? Or can I be selective in my disdain of my fellow ninth graders?" AJ shook her head.

"Dunno. Don't care either. Not like it affects me. So you can go on hating whoever your heart desires, and I will do my homework." They shook on it. "Okay. Traditional topic of hating your classmates closed. Excited about the new school year?" A sound escaped Charlie that people were unsure whether to term a snort or snicker.

"Alexandria Josephine Vintner. It is 7:45 in the morning. I am standing on a street corner waiting for a bus. I will soon have enough homework to make the Tower of Pisa finish tipping over. And you are asking me if I'm excited?" AJ colored.

"Charlie," she hissed. "Do not call me that! Especially when we get to school."

"What? Your name? You have such an inferiority complex, AJ." admonishing one friend, she failed to notice the other, Rod, come up next to her until he flicked her ear.

"Ow, gimme a break! Gawd, why does everyone feel like it's ok to destroy my soul?"

"Let's go drama queen. That big yellow thing that most people classify as a bus, you know it? It's about to pull up." Charlie trailed her two friends, rubbing her ear.

"I should lift weights," she announced. Ignoring the raised eyebrows, she explained her epiphany. "Our society admires people who look like they can care for themselves; our mate has to be able to protect us or our children if necessary. Now that I'm in high school, and preparing for the 'real world,' I need to begin making myself attractive and available so I don't end up somebody's spinster aunt living in the basement."

"Hey, freshman, you could have just said you wanted all the guys to think you were hot." Charlie turned. Black hair, cut short and spiked, with strange red streaks; fingerless leather gloves, dark jeans, a leather jacket, and an overactive sense of self-importance.

"Are you a motorcycle nut or something?" Charlie always wanted a motorcycle. She didn't know anything about them, but she had convinced herself she could learn. Motorcycles were just about as close as she could get to flying without freaking out the regular people. Spikey looked surprised.

"Yeah. Fixed up an old one I found in a junkyard. I need to get her a paint job," he added wistfully. "Right now my pockets are empty. But she goes like nothing you've seen."

"Mom laughed when I asked. Didn't say a word. Just walked away laughing." Charlie made a face. "She grounded me when I made inquiries as to exactly what she put in her coffee, which, of course, she took to mean I was implying she was on crack."

"Were you?"

"Was I what?"

"Implying she was on crack?"

Charlie looked affronted. "Of course." Then, with rare comedic timing, she added, "in retrospect, not my best idea."

AJ and Rod started laughing. They were still laughing when the bus pulled up, though admittedly it was a bare half second later. Charlie sulked as she followed them onto the bus. They would laugh as half so much if she came to school looking like a juggalo. Although they might pretend not to know her.

Charlie was laughing. If it was petty, and she was pretty sure it was, she didn't care. Oh, the joy that filled her soul when Rod and AJ screamed on that bus ride was worth getting pegged with a notebook. It was almost as much fun as telling them that she'd experienced better. That had earned her another beating.

"Hey, Spikey!" Charlie called. "Get your butt over here."

"Don't call me that," he advised. "I will fry you."

"Apparently there's going to be a lot of scorching other people today. I promised my brother I would incinerate him."

"You're not a pyro. I can tell if people are."

Charlie exhaled and scratched her head. "AJ-"

AJ stopped her before she even started. "I barely understand myself. Leave me alone. Besides, can't he just find out in power placement?"

"She's right," Rod interjected. "You'll be explaining all day. You're here for someone else to figure you out. Let them do their job."

"Thanks for insinuating I'm mental. I really appreciate that."

"I knew you would."

Charlie turned back to Spikey as Rod and AJ walked off; he had been watching them with something akin to amusement but was now attempting to school his face to neutrality.

"Um, yeah, 6th- or is it 5th?- gen on my dad's side, my great-something grandpa got dumped in a vat of toxic waste, except he didn't just get dumped into it he accidentally swallowed it and it started messing with his head. Fun times, I'm sure. My mom was the first in her family; no one's quite sure how she got her powers. So they ended up with me. Yippee. My power- um I guess it's a form of tele-whatever, I can manipulate the elements but I can't produce them. Air, water and earth are easy. There are always some of them nearby. I keep a lighter handy for fire. B-T-W, what's the name?"

"Warren, but what about the fifth element?" he asked. "Some people think it's time, some people think it's spirit or the mind. And what about the lesser elements, like metal, or-"

"Whoa." Charlie cut him off, frowning. "If I had all that I wouldn't need to come here, I'd be locked up in a sparkly white place for observation. As for what the fifth element is, that's up to debate. Most modern pagans call it ether, spirit, and include the mind with it. Some people think it's the person as a whole, mind, body and spirit. And there are so many more that I could name we'd still be standing here at the end of the school day, but right now we are getting left behind, so shut up and walk."

They walked in silence, Charlie's mind churning. After cocooning a boy in the eighth grade literally in an earthen tomb, she was reluctant to try anything outside of the secure reach of Sam, her telepathic brother. He had learned early how to shut people's minds down, a la her major stupidity and immaturity. Despite his antics that morning, he was actually more adult than she was, even if he was only 10.

The freshmen were ushered into a large, shiny gym to be met by a smiling woman who introduced herself as Principal Powers.

"-I hope you enjoy your time here as you learn everything you need to know to succeed as a super hero- or a sidekick. But first you will be examined to see where your strengths lie- class, this is Sonic Boom; you may call him Coach Boomer. He will decide whether you are a hero, or a sidekick, which will determine the classes you take during your time here. So do your best! Comets away!" Dissolving into a shower of sparks, she left them to the mercy of the terror dubbed 'Gym Teacher Man: With an Ego.'

"All right. We'll go in whatever order I feel like. I'm the one who decides what you are and how useful your power is, and I don't want any whiner babies complaining to their mommies how they were hero support because they could turn into a band aid. Acacia Thorn!"

"Here," a girl waved and went back to talking to her friends. Noticing Coach Boomer was still looking for her she waved again and yelled a little louder, "I'm here!"

"And why aren't you _here_?" he demanded irritatedly. She blushed and walked up to the platform.

"Sorry. What do you need me to do?"

Boomer rolled his eyes. "How about _showing me your powers_ since we are in _Power Placement_?" He suggested.

Acacia began changing, becoming more and more plantlike until she had holly for a face, briars for legs, ivy for hair and less recognizable plants for the rest of her body. It was a little bit offputting.

"Hero!" Boomer called. "Take a seat on that side of the gym." The gym was slowly filling up. On one side, apparently, sat heroes and on the other sat sidekicks.

"Now I want- you, Hothead." Charlie sniggered. If he hadn't liked Spikey how would he like Hothead?

Stiffly, Warren walked up to the platform. "I have a name."

"I can't use it if I don't know it, _Hothead_. Or would you prefer Spike?" Boomer taunted him. Warren growled, and flames began licking his arms as Boomer continued. "Oh look, a lightshow. That's just not making the cut, sorry. What else you got?" Warren created a fireball his own size and threw it on the ground. It created a good 10 foot hole. "That's more like it. Hero! What's your name?"

"Warren Peace."

A chilling sensation trickled down her spine. Warren Peace, the son of Baron Battle and Olivia Peace. Son of the first real super villain since The Demon. Son of the man who turned Valiant into Valiant Delinquency. Warren Peace.

Ooh, that sucker was gonna get it. How dare he be cooler than her?

There were some more heroes, and some sidekicks. Then it was Charlie's turn.

Being the last, she walked up before he yelled at her. He'd already sent two kids to the principal's office, and she didn't intend on being the third.

"Hi, so I was wondering, can this place help me learn the full extent of my powers or do I need to attend a different power school because I don't think I fully understand them myself, and I could give you a demonstration of what I know but it wouldn't really be up to par since I don't know exactly what I can accomplish-"

"Hey. Shut up and power up. Tell me your name while you're at it." Boomer looked tired.

"Chamomile for a pick-me-up," she muttered. "I'm Charlie Flitter."

Boomer rolled his eyes. He really wanted to retire. Why couldn't he retire? Live in the Bahamas, never have to deal with a stinking teenager ever again. "There is no Charlie Flitter here."

Charlie gently took his clipboard and pen and scribbled something on the paper. "They spelled my name wrong. So sorry for the inconvenience." Charlie smiled at him as innocently as she could manage, which wasn't very. Then she sat down.

"Wow! What a power!"

"Boom-baby, we got us a killer!"

"Aww, the cute freshman has no powers. Damn, guess we'll have to send her home."

Turn her smile to the crowd, she exploded the floor, freezing it all in midair just as it would have hit them. She then politely returned the pieces to their original position, and for good measure, left it broken. Eh, she was lazy. She then used the water from the basement to make it rain on the heroes. And blew a few of them off the bleachers (and, incidentally, Gym Teacher Man With An Ego). And provided the sidekicks a nice breeze, because hey, it wasn't like they could really defend themselves.

Boomer, from his position on the floor, scribbled 'hero' onto the clipboard, as well as 'detention.' "Bahamas," he lamented.


	2. Then there was

Disclaimer: I do not own sky high. *a deep wrenching sob of despair fills the room making you look around wildly in search of someone to comfort* Sorry. I've always wanted to do that.

_Thought_

Sulking, Charlie went to take her seat in the stands. She saw AJ and Rod with the other sophomores and decided they probably wanted to be left alone. No one really liked freshmen. Even other freshmen didn't like freshmen. So she sat behind Acacia Thorn and another kid, Jack.

Not wanting to interrupt, she examined the gym. It was a nice gym. It was high tech and all. It included a basement pool (obviously), a basketball court, and an enclosed arena surrounded by bleachers. She could only guess what it was for.

"So what was that about finding the extent of your powers or whatever?" Acacia jokingly asked. Plain face or no, Acacia knew how to dress to her advantage, wearing unadorned jeans and a baby doll blouse that accentuated her figure enough to easily catch the eye.

"I don't really know what I can do," Charlie explained. "I've never done more than basic stuff with my powers."

"Why don't you know what you can do?" the other boy, Jack, asked.

Charlie didn't answer for a minute, just watched a freshmen turn into a cloud and be labeled a sidekick. She had found out about her powers in the third grade, when everybody was getting their first crushes. Wanting to make a cute boy notice her, she had called a wind to scatter the papers on Mrs. Dickson's desk, and jumble them all up to prevent them from taking a test. He'd noticed her all right, but he came up to her right as the most popular girl in school called her a freak. That had been the end of that relationship and her social life; you just didn't associate with someone the head cheerleader called a freak, even in third grade. Later she switched to a prep school for kids with powers where she'd met AJ and Rod.

"I wanted to wait," she replied carefully. "I wanted people there who could control things if something happened."

"What did you expect to happen?" Acacia queried.

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. Hopefully, my powers are exactly as they appear. Manipulate the four elements. End of story."

Acacia was shocked. "Why don't you want stronger powers?" she demanded incredulously. "I mean, I can change into different kinds of trees. I would love to actually be able to affect regular plants. All I'm good for is beating people up or tying them up. A real plant person can grow more trees after a forest fire or grow food fast enough to feed millions of people or fix deforestation problems." She climbed up to sit next to Charlie, and Jack followed. "Even just manipulating stuff you can calm a hurricane, or rescue drowning people, stop an earthquake, control a forest fire."

"Yes, but-"

"-and you can seriously singe people when you get pissed at them," Jack inserted.

"Warren can accomplish that, and he only does fire crap," Charlie retorted.

"At least I don't have to carry around a lighter."

Charlie sighed in mock annoyance. "Wonderful, Spikey joined the Beat-Up-On-Charlie club. You want to join us or are you going to insult me from afar?"

Warren's face darkened in anger. "I told you not to call me that," he growled. "I also told you that I would fry you. Would you like me to fulfill that promise?"

Although she knew flames wouldn't harm her, Charlie struck a pose, pretending to think about it. "I do remember that. But, you know," she added, her voice hardening, "I seem to have a blank space in my memory that includes you telling me your name is Warren Peace."

Warren lit up. "That doesn't matter!" he yelled petulantly. "I am not my dad. I am not like him. I am myself!"

"I know. But it explains things you say. It can add perspective to things you do. It can clarify why you react strongly to things I say. You refusing to tell me who you are makes me think you have something to hide, which puts you on the road to becoming your dad. In which case," Charlie added jokingly, "I will have to open a can of ass-whup and point it in your direction."

Gazing at Warren calmly while he contemplated her little speech, she prepared for the possibility that she would have to defend herself. Shifting her feet slightly for better balance, she tensed in preparation for the punch. To everyone's surprise, Warren sat down, extinguishing the flames. "I'm entitled to a few secrets."

"Not with me you're not," Charlie told him brightly. Turning back to Acacia, she grilled her on the specifics of the student body. "Who should I know? Who should I avoid? Is there anything I should avoid mentioning to anyone in particular?"

Acacia's gaze roamed the room. "Um, that would be a question for my older brother, Keith. He's a sophomore this year. I know that's Gwen Grayson, Vice President of the Student Body Council or something like that. That's Yogi Bear, a sidekick, but heroes can hang with him, too. He can turn into any cartoon character. Everyone loves him and he's dating Jennifer Madison, ice queen extraordinaire, last I heard. She's a sophomore. Um, that's Avis Giovanni; she's a European transfer, popular with the guys. Gorgeous set of wings- or so I've heard. That's all I can remember."

"It helps though. Any information I can get will keep me alive that much longer." Acacia and Jack laughed. The conversation turned to more mundane things while they waited to be released.

Boomer was visibly relieved when he walked off the stage. Power placement was always the worst part of the year, with calls coming in complaining about someone's baby being a sidekick. He much preferred calling legal and illegal during Save the Citizen, Capture the Flag, and obstacle fights. He could basically just sit there and relax.

"All right. Everyone has lunch now, but in the future, there are two lunches. You have an hour, half of it in the cafeteria; half is just free time, wherever you want to be as long as you stay on school grounds. The lunches are pretty evenly split between the classes. Now go away."

Charlie listened to Acacia and Jack and Warren talk as she followed them to the cafeteria, preferring to get a good look at the school. It was big, that was the first thing she noticed. Advanced, as it would have to be to avoid destruction by villains, it was a techie's dream come true. Charlie couldn't wait to get started finding the bolt holes in this place.

"Earth to Charlie. Hello? Anyone in there? Major Tom to ground control. Whichever way I'm supposed to be going, I'm not getting a connection."

AJ interrupted Charlie's thoughts, wanting to talk about power placement. Charlie didn't want to, but she knew it would be unavoidable.

"So, why no fire? Why not hide all but one? And don't pull that bullcrap 'because I felt like it,' either. I know you better than that."

"We already went over this, AJ. Why again?" Plunking her tray down with the enthusiasm of all her high school years (or hours), Charlie plopped a fry into AJ's mouth in an attempt to stave off questions, to no avail.

"What is it with you and fries? We're going over this again because as you yourself proclaimed earlier, the point of coming here is to have- what did you say?- 'people who could control things if something happened.'" AJ chewed her fry, stealing a few more as she waited for Charlie to speak.

"I don't want people freaking out around me. They'll do it anyway but the only people I want knowing everything right now are the people who already do. I'll be nice to the other freshmen at least a little longer."

"Oh, so kind of you," AJ sniggered. "Well, I have the second lunch, so I normally won't be seeing you. I already checked and you have the first lunch. And don't bother getting all moral on me, I'll be nice to the freshman my ass. New Yorkers are born with an empty space where there conscience should be."

Charlie shrugged mute acceptance. It was true. "Just because I have no morals doesn't mean you're allowed not to."

"I have morals," AJ objected. "Even if I sometimes ignore them for the good of mankind."

Charlie snorted derisively. "Yeah, that pumpkin bomb in sixth was vital to human survival."

"What's this about bombs?" Jack joined the conversation, looking too interested for anyone's comfort.

"AJ here put a bomb in the eighth grade jack-o-lantern when I was in sixth grade. It exploded all over Mrs. Schroeder and nearly gave her a heart attack. They never did figure out it was you," Charlie commented, turning to AJ. "They still think it was some bored high school kid."

"Really?" AJ shook her head wonderingly. "Wow. And after all the crap I did. Well, that means I don't have to wait as long to get cracking. Who's with me?" Jack raised his hand. No one else.

"What? It's not like they can do anything horrible to us," he insisted. "They'd be too scared of me or my friends turning villain."

Charlie looked around at the small group. "Which friends, Jack?"

"Well, for one, I've got a bomb affinity. Skyler over there, he can switch people's personas. Like put someone in someone else's body. Mo, doesn't have this lunch, metalman. Kinda nuts about it. And Brandon-" Jack stopped, and took a bite of his sandwich. "And Brandon," he finished. "Maybe they aren't worried about me so much but I can guarantee they don't want to come up against all of us."

"Who's they?" asked Acacia, amused.

"Everyone who wants us to conform. Duh." Jack shook his head at her confusion and leaned in. "Can't you tell? Power Placement? That's just so they can categorize us as useful and useless. That guy who play CDs and Ipods and records? That's amazing. He'd be amazing as a DJ or if he worked at a club or almost anywhere in the music industry. But to them, he's pointless. He'll do them no good. But some of these other kids here? They've got to want them for something other than saving the world. How many people do you need for that anyway?"

Everyone was silent as they considered.

"Wow." Acacia struggled to hold in her laughter. "So what do they want with the sidekicks?" she asked innocently, after she could contain herself.

"Mass murder." Jack shrugged. Finally the remaining poker faces broke.

"What gets me," gasped AJ, "is how you can keep a straight face when you say that." Jack smirked.

"What can I say? It runs in the family." Charlie and the other freshman who hadn't caught on initially groaned. A load of bullshit.

"And here I was hoping you were actually crazy," Acacia commented. "That would have made my life so much easier."

"Hey!" Jake sputtered.

Charlie leaned over towards AJ. "Does he actually believe ay of that?" she whispered.

AJ nodded. "To a limited degree. Some of that BS is just for the tourists, but the part about this being so the government can keep tabs on the powered population? Yeah, he believes that. Of course," she added, "I believe _that_. But I don't believe that's the reason this place was created."

Charlie nodded. It did make sense. She opened her mouth to continue quizzing Jake but the bell rang.

"Do you know where we go?" asked Acacia as they got up and grabbed their stuff.

Charlie checked her schedule. "Umm… all this thing says is registration. So we probably get to sign up for classes now."

"Fun stuff. You know what you're doing?"

"Nope."

"You know where you're going?"

"Nope. But maybe we'll find a yellow brick road or something." Acacia raised her brows.


	3. And Yeah, That's Dead

Chapter III

Chapter III

"This is ridiculous," complained Acacia. She and Charlie were discussing what classes to chose, Jake saying "What do they expect us to do all year, homework? I _need_ electives."

Charlie checked her course options. "You get two. How many do you guys need?"

"More than that!" Charlie stared at the wall. The alternating blue tile pattern had suddenly become very fascinating. She could even see where the mortar had worn away from other bored student chipping at it to pass the time. Maybe she could add her own marks…

"Are you listening to me?" interrupted Acacia.

"No. I was being blissfully ignorant."

"You're mean. Any way, I think I'm going with Shrink School and I'm trying out for Courses team."

"Courses? Let me see that." Charlie grabbed the course book and read aloud. "You may choose to try out for team sports on the powered level such as LSSC, SSSC, Courses, Tandem, or Capture the Flag. Courses includes timed obstacle courses AND competitive obstacle courses.' Wow, like the emphasized 'and' there."

"I looked at the nonpower sports, but I didn't like my options. So what did you decide?" The two stood to turn in their forms.

"You know, I'm not really sure. My mom told me about Large Scale and Small Scale Save the Citizen, but what's Tandem? I've put down that I'm going to try out for one of the power sports, but I want to be sure I know what everything is."

Acacia nodded sagely. "Makes perfect sense. So, when are you going to do something stupid?"

"What?"

"AJ said if I hung around you long enough you'd do something stupid that would crack me up for the rest of my life." Acacia watched Charlie bang her head against the wall with interest. "Does that count?"

"No." Charlie growled. She brightened suddenly. "But me murdering AJ might. Let me see if I can find her before the bell." She ran off pausing only to glance back and yell, "Well, come on!"

"You bitch!"

_Why_ couldn't she have NORMAL first school day? Why couldn't she just be a sheep for one day?

"I'm talking to you! Yeah you," the girl snarled when Charlie pulled a '_who, me?' _face. "You'll pay for this. These are my new True-effing-Religion jeans. They cost me 700. And this is freaking _spaghetti_!"

"I think it was linguini actually," corrected Charlie politely. "See the noodles are flat and wide-"

"I don't CARE!" the girl was positively seething now.

"Blue, it's ok-" One of her friends tried to intervene and head her off.

"No it isn't! I want her to pay me right now for my jeans!" she conjured a ball of lightning. "I'll _make_ her," She hissed.

Charlie sighed. Again, just _one_ sheep day? Pulling up a slight wind she prepared to make it something larger.

"MISS IRAH! MISS FLITTER!" an outraged Principal Powers converged upon the two. Stepping between them, she glared at each in turn. "The first day of school no less. Come with me. NOW!"

She led them to a room with five desks spread around the room. It was blindingly white, making Charlie groan in realization of what it would do to her poor eyes. There was already someone in there, a sleeping Asian boy that she remembered had been classified as a hero, but she couldn't remember his power.

"You will be unable to achieve your objective if you remain asleep, Mr. Kuroso." The boy- Brandon, Charlie remembered- lifted his head.

"I know that," he stated, and put his head back down.

Principal Powers huffed. "Fine. In." she ordered the two girls. "The room cancels out your powers. Don't bother trying it." She departed as soon as the two chose a desk. As soon as the door closed, Blue jumped up and sauntered over to where Charlie was sitting.

"I don't need my powers to beat your ass," she observed, striking a pose. Charlie looked up. _She must be six feet at least_, she considered absently. She put her head down on her desk and sighed. This was going to be a long detention if she was going to be Blue's punching bag during the whole thing.

"So you have a choice to make. You have until tomorrow to get me either my money, or a new pair of jeans. Your choice. Or I'm afraid you'll get the _shock_," she giggled, "of your pathetic life."

Charlie ignored her as best she could until Blue left for a doctor's appointment.

"I wonder if I could stay in here the rest of my life," she speculated. "What do you think?"

"'Ah, it speaks, and to me? All for naught, for I have no answer,'" quoted Brandon, not lifting his head.

"Does that mean you don't know, or does it mean you don't want me to talk to you?" Charlie inquired casually.

"'Again, she spake, again I answered, and yet she left dissatisfied.'"

"Now you're just confusing me."

"'Confusion doth the lady good, thy gentle word leave much desired."

"Are those even real quotes?"

"What doth reality be but that which doth be inescapable?"

"I'm going to stop talking to you."

"Thy hearty words blister my ears though they e'er be much enjoyed."

"Does that mean shut up or keep talking?"

"Speak or don't, I shall or shan't listen."

Charlie gave up, casting a wary eye in his direction. She was only counting minutes anyway. AJ had about 3 more and Rod had about 5...and yes. There she was.

"-never seen such a display in my life! You could almost rival Miss Flitter." AJ was herded into the room followed by an irate Principal Powers. "You two have until an hour after school lets out. You, Mr. Kuroso, have until you can stay awake for _five minutes_. Now I want the three of you to reflect the consequences of using your powers outside of appropriate venues. If you can't give me a good answer as to why you felt it necessary to use your powers outside of those venues you will be in here tomorrow!" She left, leaving AJ to collapse in hysterics. Charlie watched her, unconcerned, until the laughter finally subsided into occasional giggles.

"Well, gee, AJ, I thought our promise wasn't in effect until tomorrow. It's nice to know how much you care. But you did cut it close."

"Rod'll be in here soon. He was playing tag as wolf-man."

"So, how did you use your powers 'outside of appropriate venues'? Your wings aren't out."

"I didn't."

Charlie waited. "Are you going to explain?"

"Oh, yeah. Owens Lariche, fish, an illusionist."

"So why isn't he in here?"

"He was late, so he hadn't gone through power placement yet. They didn't know it was him."

"Nice." There was a slight pause as the two looked at the clock, and then at each other.

"Three...two...one..." they whispered in unison.

"That's it!" Principle Powers opened the detention door yet again. "I expected better from you, Mr. Queens. This is a disappointment." She stood back as Rod walked into the room then left, slamming the door.

"Nice," AJ congratulated him, sniggering.

Rod gave a modest bow. "I do try."

"You three are crazy." Brandon had finally lifted his head. "You two got in here on purpose?"

"Yeah." Charlie didn't see anything wrong with it. They were always in detention together, normally because they all pulled their pranks together, but details were unimportant. He would have asked another question but for the bell ringing, and Principle Powers entering to usher them off school grounds.

"I don't want to see any of you in here again, do you hear me?" she asked severely.

"Loud and clear," muttered Charlie, smiling blandly as Principle Powers looked her direction. The three left quietly, and took about ten steps before giving themselves up to their laughter.

"Always five minutes before the bell rings, huh Rod?" AJ gasped, leaning against a locker.

"Of course," Rod confirmed, affronted. "How could I be anything but?"

"What do you mean, anything but," she retorted. "You are a butt!"

"No, he's a _derriere_," Charlie inserted.

Charlie and AJ exploded into fresh giggles while Rod began walking away. "Come on, you'll miss your bus."

"We don't take the bus!" AJ called after him. "Come on, fishy. Let's go. I assume you'll stay at Boom House during the year?"

Charlie sighed, glancing out a window. "I talked to Mom, and she doesn't want me to. But her house isn't practical. It took us four hours to get here this morning." Silent for a moment, they emerged from the school in time to be blinded by one of the buses taking off.

"Ouch," AJ noted. "Blast, now I have to wait for the spots to clear." She put her bag down and sat carelessly on the warm concrete. "Might as well join me. Rod takes the bus, so he's not here." They were gossiping to pass the time when the noticed a strange blob join them.

"If I know you I can't tell, so hi. I'm Charlie." Ever practical, Charlie stuck out her hand.

"Lash. I know AJ." He shook her hand.

"Lash? Since when have you been Lash?" AJ snorted and stood. "I can see now."

"I can't," Charlie groused. "And I can't fly if I can't see. You'll just have to wait."

"Since I got tired of Andy," Lash replied. "We need to go. The poor monkeys are calling for you." Charlie stood as the last spots faded from her vision.

"That's right, you work at the zoo," she recalled. "I gotta run by RaveHouse and get some stuff fixed anyway, so I'll call when I'm done, kay?"

RaveHouse was the local club for powered kids, one that served alcohol on the premises that the teens would be responsible about it so they could stay in control of their powers. It worked, too, since anyone who got soused enough to lose control got their drinking rights permanently banned.

"Stuff?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we're doing the party there, remember? It was your idea."

"Oh. Why would I remember that?" AJ had a horrible memory until it came to other people doing crazy YouTube-worthy stunts.

Laughing, Charlie turned to Lash, who had followed them to the edge of the grounds. "What's your power?"

"He's rubber band boy," jeered AJ. Lash shrugged.

"Yeah, basically. It's fun though, 'cause I can do _this_." He reached over to AJ and smacked her butt.

"You're such a lecherous shit." She complained.

"Gwen doesn't mind." He said innocently.

AJ rolled her eyes. "Gwen's a slut. I thought you had better taste."

"I do. That's why I'm not dating her anymore."

AJ looked at him, interested, "Really?"

"Yeah." He grimaced. "She wanted me to take to Greece for our one month anniversary."

"You're kidding."

"Actually she just decided it didn't help her image to be seen with me, and dumped me."

"Ha. You deserve it."

"Ouch, insult on top of injury."

"Ready to go?"

"You giving me a ride?"

"You wish."

"Charlie can get you to the ground, after that you're on your own."

Lash looked at Charlie curiously. "What does she do?"

"She can speak for herself." Charlie remarked mildly.

"My apologies, mademoiselle, what does the fair lady do?" Lash amended, bowing over her hand.

"Elemental. And I'm tempted to use fire."

"Be nice. Ish. He'd deserve it though. He will pinch your ass at least once if he's too close."

"He does that and I drop him." Turning to Lash, she warned him, "I just figured out I can do this. You distract me and we're both dead."

"I promise I'll be good." He gave Charlie and AJ an Earnest Little Boy smile that neither believed, but both admitted was pretty damn good as long as you didn't know him.

"Come on, stop stalling, pop your wings." AJ's power was unusual in that she literally grew wings. Each time she wanted to use them, they painfully shoved through her skin. Charlie had seen the show, and it wasn't pretty.

But however ugly the process, her wings were beautiful. She had a 15 foot wingspan, black limned by silver. And she was an amazing flyer, able to perform complicated maneuvers that would put Hawkgirl to shame.

AJ was done, wincing as she stretched her wings. "Ready?" she asked.

Charlie showed Lash how to hold on to her arms. "This'll feel weird," she warned him again. "You freak and we both die."

"'Kay." Lash did look slightly green around the gills. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Charlie and AJ grinned at each other.

"Nope!" Charlie replied, and jumped, freefalling for a few seconds. It was worth it to hear him yell.


	4. Chapter 4

Practice. She needed practice.

And something stronger than tylenol.

Somehow, her power had failed, leaving them a couple stories up with nothing holding them there. But luckily, or unluckily, as Lash might have said, there was a tree in between them and the ground. So what if there happened to be a few hyenas underneath it? They weren't using the tree anyway.

Laughing, AJ hid in the branches with them. "Good thing the little monsters at our feet aren't very popular," she said. "We can thank Disney for that."

"Will you just get us out of here?" Charlie snapped. Usually she could gauge her abilities better than this, but there had been no warning. Just, all of the sudden, nothing. AJ gave her friend a very familiar look- one that meant Charlie would be grilled later, and took Lash. When she came back for Charlie and found her gone, AJ just shook her head. Charlie hated thinking about her family, and when she disappeared, it was easy to guess the cause.

Returning to Lash, she made excuses. "You must have done something for her to lose concentration like that." Holding up a hand, she continued. "I'm sure she's embarrassed. As fun as it is to tease her, the monkeys are waiting anxiously, remember?" Lash resisted for a moment, long enough for AJ to get huffy.

"That didn't feel like a loss of concentration," he said stubbornly. That felt like something had gone wrong. "You know, there's was this telepath I know, Nick, great guy. Really good at his stuff. But bring a certain type of quartz near him, and it shuts the guy down. Normal, completely cut off from his power." He imagined it must be what the detention room felt like. Boom, nothing. It felt like a cast to him, he was a normal guy most of the time anyway, but according to Nick, it felt like losing a limb. "I saw it happen once. A sharp jerk then, boom, total clarity, as if you hadn't had his full attention before."

"So?" AJ asked, trying for passivity. Lash wasn't buying it.

"Is there something wrong with Charlie's powers? Was that was she was talking about at power placement?"

AJ looked up at him in surprise. "I didn't think you were there, but yeah, sort of."

Lash started walking towards the employee center. "I wasn't, but it was a pretty weird thing to say. Besides, there's only about 50 people per grade with powers, the rest are just the family of supers. So word gets around fast."

"Forgot. Charlie's gonna love this." AJ muttered, meaning, of course, the exact opposite.

* * *

The truth was, Charlie didn't have elemental powers, except for a touch of fire powers from her mom. She had something a little harder to explain, but very simple to understand, considering it was the exact same power as an ancestor of hers.

Her uncle had explained a little bit just last year. Usually, a kid with two powered parents got one of their parents' powers, or at least, something related. When you played with toxicity, it was a little difficult to tell. And certain powers, most notable the physical ones that involved going beyond normal human mechanics, like superspeed or superstrength, pretty much passed on directly and equally, so the kid was a copy of the parent, power wise.

Those with elemental powers, relating to fire, water, air, or earth, usually got a variation on the them. So if a parent could breath fire, the child might be able to throw fireballs. Rarely, such powers did what was referred to as "cross contamination," when a fire-power parent produced a child with wind powers, or water, or earth powers.

And then, you'd have those random supers that ended up more powerful than their parents. It usually occurred in less quantifiable powers, like telepathy or among elemental types.

Not that Charlie was one of them. She was yet another phenomenon called, quite rudely, neanderthals. They weren't as rare as other power types, but they weren't liked very much. One reason being they usually suffered from mental problems like OCD, bipolar, depression, problems otherwise unseen in the powered population. It also usually happened among villainous genealogies.

Charlie didn't understand much of the whys or hows of it all (powered genetics didn't come up until sophomore year), but she got the basic point her uncle had been trying to make: hide that shit. That or attend one of the power schools on another continent, like the one in Peru, or even Egypt, where her extended family was little more than a blip on the radar.

She kicked a pinecone at the thought. _Egypt, my ass_. _They'd have to fight me first,_ she promised with vicious pleasure. They wouldn't do that to her. Not, she thought as her anger faded, because of her power, but because they cared about her. But, wimp that she was, if it every really became a matter of her safety, she'd probably volunteer so as not to cause problems for her adopted family.

This time the pinecone flew into the trees and knocked more down- enough for Charlie to finish venting. Maybe. She probably tried to kick a few rocks while she was at it, and most likely stopped because it hurt.

Throwing out a few well padded curses, she started walking. No way she could fly right now- she had a major headache, plus she didn't want to add to the hurts she'd already gained that afternoon. She wished she had money for a taxi, even if she couldn't take it all the way to the dorms.

"Hey little girl, I've got candy."

Thoughts well interrupted, Charlie turned her tired yet sufficiently fearsome glare on Rod. "What do you want?"

Rod shrugged, jogging a bit to catch up to her. "What do you need?"

"A cold beer?" she suggested.

"Okay," he agreed, to Charlie's surprise.

"Really?"

Rod raised an eyebrow. "Considering you don't even like beer, I figured letting it seem like you're getting something you want might make you feel better." Charlie punched him playfully, even though she was in a less terrible mood. Rod's presence often had that effect, something about his measured tone and methodical thinking. Never had to worry about him making rash decisions or sudden outbursts, only over analyzing things.

"What makes you think I'm upset?"

Rod grabbed her shoulder. "I'm not here to be the Inquisition, Charlie. I'm here to be your friend. Talk if you want, don't talk if you don't want, but let's not play games."

Charlie started to say she didn't want to talk about it, then stopped. This was Rod. Rodney Queens, whom she'd known since she was three. They'd seen each other naked. He and AJ were the only people who knew about her family. She and AJ were the first ones Rod came out to. "I lost it. My powers. I was flying, and all of the sudden, zilch, nada."

"Odd."

"A little more than that." Charlie started walking again, heading deeper into the park. "The way it cut off... I'm worried about whoever it was I was copying." Charlie's main power, the one that allowed her to pass for an elemental, allowed her to copy the superpower of anyone within a 100 mile radius. She could only use one at a time, but if someone had two powers she could use both of those powers.

"You're sure they didn't just move out of range?" Rodney asked.

"No, it would have faded instead of cut off. And I can copy someone's powers when they sleep, so It's not just a loss of consciousness. I don't know if I'm being blocked somehow, or if-" Charlie choked, unable to finish.

"If they're dead." Rod was practical. He knew how to say the unpleasant things, take out the sting of emotion. Because in all likelihood, that was the case. Gone. Maybe lost a battle against a villain, or maybe just died in a car wreck. There would be a blurb about it on the news, and then no one to remember their name.

Charlie calmed herself. "Yes. They could be dead." She'd scour the web later that evening, trying to check deaths that were close enough, double checking against the students at school, against superheroes and villains. A morbid curiosity, or a need to prove herself infallible, Charlie wasn't sure which. Neither was she able to examine her thoughts closely to decide.

Charlie stopped at the split oak that marked their turn off the path, resting a hand on the tree. Something had caused half the tree to grow in a gentle slope pointing to the given trail, but if you were willing to bear the scraped palms and treacherous footing, you could use the limbs on the other half to lever yourself onto a lower trail. It was invisible to the casual observer, and those who knew the secret guarded it jealously. At some point, someone had cleared some brush down the trail, and there was a sort of grove that had certainly seen many a lover's tryst, though now it protected Charlie from prying eyes as she practiced with her true power and strength.

Or it would, if that were why she had come tonight. Tonight she wanted to relax, maybe change into a wolf with Rod, or lay back and enjoy the grass. Stop worrying about something she couldn't change.

Finally, Charlie smiled, taking her hand off the tree. "Let's have some fun," she called.


End file.
